John Travolta’s GOTTI Dropped By Lionsgate Ten Days Before Release

Gotti, the mob drama starring John Travolta in the title role of the real life organized crime figure, has been dropped its distributor Loinsgate just ten days before it was due to premier in theaters.

The Tracking Board is reporting that the distributor has sold the film back to producers Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, who will now be shopping it around for a new home for a 2018 release.

This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. There have been no advance critics screenings of the film and no apparent publicity push beyond a trailer released two months ago.

There was no word as to what led Lionsgate to suddenly pass on distributing the picture. The abrupt cancellation of its release does somewhat call to mind when Orchard Films last month dropped I Love You Daddy just days before it was scheduled to hit theaters. That was due to the writer/director/star Louis C.K. becoming suddenly embroiled in the ongoing sexual harassment scandal sweeping the entertainment and political worlds. There is no reason to believe that something similar could be at play here, though.

Gotti was directed by Entourage star Kevin Connolly from a screenplay by Lem Dobbs (The Limey) and veteran character actor Leo Rossi. Joining Travolta in the cast were his wife Kelly Preston, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Stacy Keach and Spencer Lofranco.

A film fan since he first saw that Rebel Blockade Runner fleeing the massive Imperial Star Destroyer at the tender age of 8 and a veteran freelance journalist with twenty years experience writing about film and pop culture.